CYTOKINE STORM and the INFLUENZA PANDEMIC: The World Health Organization

September 3, 2005: It was reported that a Vaccine may be linked to bird flu cases in China

A weak strain of avian influenza (bird flu) has been detected at numerous farms in Ibaraki Prefecture of China. Researchers speculate that it may have been caused by artificially, possibly by the use of an unapproved vaccine, accoding to a farm ministry panel.

The use of vaccines to prevent bird flu is currently prohibited by Chinese law. The Chinese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry announced that it was forming a panel that would investigate this matter further.

According to Dr. Hiroshi Kida, a professor at Hokkaido University and head of the newly-formed panel, the genetic makeup of the virus found at the Ibaraki farms was remarkably similar to that of a particular bird flu virus strain discovered in Guatemala and Mexico. Birds from Guatamala and Mexico could not have migrated to Japan. Dr. Kida also stated that the strain was different from other Central American forms of the virus that have been previously found in other parts of Asia.

These revelations led the panel to suspect that a vaccine developed using the Central American virus was brought into Japan and had been used on some birds. The birds developed the avian flu infection and subsequently infected the birds on several farms around them, according to Dr. Kida.The Chinese Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has a stock of vaccines to be used in the event of a massive bird flu outbreak, but has banned its general use because vaccinated birds will develop the antibody and be indistinguishable from animals that have truly been infected the disease. This would require mass destruction of all birds, both infected and vaccinated to control the disease.Source: The Japan Times: Sept. 3, 2005